Victoria Commissioners name Precinct 1 constable

The Precinct 1 constable position, after two months of sitting empty, will have a new leader next week.

Victoria County Commissioners appointed Richie Williams, a licensed peace officer, to fill the vacancy left when now Judge Richard Castillo accepted an appointment for Justice of the Peace.

Williams, 40, said he was honored to receive the appointment.

"I'm ready to get to work and give back to the community," Williams said. "They deserve it. They've been without a constable for a couple of months now."

Williams said he was looking forward to working with Castillo and getting the office caught up on civil process, patrol the community and take care of the office's duties.

He will take the oath of office Monday during commissioners court.

Although Castillo had already accepted the nomination for Justice of the Peace, both men ran in the May primary election. Castillo won by 704 votes, Williams received 611 votes. However, Castillo rejected the Democratic Party's nomination for the office. The Republican Party did not have a candidate in the primary race for Precinct 1 constable.

Williams said if the party does not nominate him for the November General Election, he will not be able to run on the ballot.

"I'm in the same situation that Judge Castillo is," Williams said. "I'm seeking the Democratic Party nomination and trying to be on the ballot. Right now, I feel pretty confident, but it's up to the committee to decide that."

County officials interviewed with two other candidates, B. Scott Hornstein, who ran for the Republican Party nomination for sheriff in the primary election, and Scott Townsend.

"I'm just excited to be the one nominated," Williams said. "Three of us applied for the job and all three were very well qualified. It's an honor to be selected to continue the constable's position for the Precinct 1 community."

Williams served in the United States Army from 2000 to 2004, serving in Operation Bright Star in Egypt and Operation Iraqi Freedom. While deployed to Iraq, he completed numerous missions and worked with the military police guiding hundreds of convoys and missions.

Williams said the job is something he has wanted for a long time.

"Now I have the opportunity to do it," he said. "I'm going to show the community that they made a good decision."